


We were looking for ourselves, and found each other

by suebird



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Basketball, Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Alternate Universe - High School, Basketball Player Alex Danvers, But don't worry - there will be Supercorp, F/F, James and Kara are together at first, Midvale (Supergirl TV 2015), Sanvers - Freeform, Slow Burn, SuperCorp
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:40:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25464121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suebird/pseuds/suebird
Summary: Maggie Sawyer moves to Midvale before her senior year of high school. She gets a job at the local bookstore where she works along with James Olsen. First day of school Maggie meets the star basketball player of Midvale High, Alex Danvers, and they quickly become close.
Relationships: Alex Danvers/Maggie Sawyer, Kara Danvers/James "Jimmy" Olsen, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 3
Kudos: 80





	1. Chapter 1

“The vinyl records are downstairs so if anyone asks just direct them there and James will take care of it.” Maggie nods and looks up from where she is pinning her name tag to her henley to smile at her new boss. “Great, then you can just settle in and wait for the customers to come I guess” he responds with a laugh and claps his hands once to put an exclamation point on his words.

Maggie laughs genuinely and waives him goodbye as he disappears into his office. She looks around the bookshop, fixing her crooked nametag before taking a slow stroll through the aisles of the shop. It is small and friendly, filled with books, both old and new, carefully arranged in bookshelves that reach from the floor all the way up to the ceiling. On every shelf there is a moveable staircase, like the one Ollivander used to swing around his shop in Harry Potter, Maggie thinks.

She feels save and at ease surrounded by endless pages of words and sentences. Books have always calmed her down, even though she hasn’t really had time to read much since she moved to Midvale. Nevertheless Dave‘s little bookshop was the first place she applied for a job.

She got lucky, the timing was perfect. Only five minutes before Maggie stepped into the shop, resume in hand, Andrew, who had worked for Dave since the store opened told Dave with tears in his eyes that he would be leaving for college in Metropolis in the fall. So Maggie got a job on the spot at the first place she applied to.

School was starting tomorrow so Maggie kills time by roaming the textbook shelfs finding what she needs. Dave‘s shop isn’t busy, at least not today, and she only has to take care of a few customers. She checks her boos out and sits by the counter taking a peek into different books while listening to the soft sounding music from the lower level. Dave comes out of his office every now and then to check if everything is okay.

It isn’t until a customer asks her for a specific vinyl record that she remembers that there is another employee working in the store. She points the customer downstairs, and shakes her head. _You are being rude Maggie_. She should have gone and said hi, why does she always does this.

She waits anxiously until the customer comes up the stairs and walks out the door holding a bag filled with records. She wipes her hands on her jeans as she quietly makes her way down the stairs and into the dimly lit basement.

The room is small but crammed with vinyl records, Leonard´s Cohen voice brimming softly in the air, the sound coming from an old fashioned vinyl player in one corner. She walks around timidly, scared to bump into James at any moment but she doesn’t see him anywhere so she calls out a weak hello.

“Sorry I’m coming” she hears from somewhere and spins where she stands. Suddenly a shelf full of records moves to the side and a tall muscular boy, probably the same age as her walks out of the door hidden behind it. Maggie feels her anxiety build up, she had expected a middle aged man with glasses, huddled over racks of the Beatles and Dire Straits. Somehow she doesn’t really look forward to working with what seems to be the popular quarterback.

“Sorry, I was just working on my photos, didn’t hear you come down, what can I do for you?” James asks smiling. Maggie is startled by how his voice somehow eases her anxiety. She shrugs and forces a smile “Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you, I just wanted to introduce myself, I’m Maggie and I just started working here.” “Oh of course, hence the nametag, I noticed that as soon as I spoke” James says and lets out a soft laugh. “I’m sorry, I thought you didn’t start until next weekend, otherwise I would have come up to say hi.”

Maggie smiles, this dude actually seems pretty nice. “Yeah” she breathes out, somehow relieved to be done with this. “Anyway, I’ll let you get back to what you are doing, sorry” she adds hurriedly as she starts to turn around. “Woah hold up” James says “You get to choose.” “What” Maggie asks perplexed. “I’ve been forcing you to listen to sad Leonard Cohen all morning, the least I can do is let you choose a record” Maggie lets out a soft laugh “it’s okay, I like Cohen.”

“Common, what do you like, I guarantee we have it” James says as he gestures to the shelfs and boxes filled with records. Maggie shrugs and tugs gently at her sleeves while she looks over the room. “I don’t know” she says “I guess I like Barenaked Ladies.” James lights up and turns to the shelf behind him “excellent choice, I got a few here” he says as he flips through a box. 

“Here it is, Stunt!” James calls out with pride in his voice “the one that got One Week on it” he explains when he sees Maggie’s puzzled face. “Right” she says as James switches the records on the player with skills that Maggie hasn’t seen before. “Thanks” she says as the song starts filling up the room.

She knows that now is her cue to leave but James seems okay with her being there as he bobs his head to the ridiculous lyrics. She grins and then suddenly she hears herself ask “What did you mean when you said you were working your photos” The anxiety spikes up again, _damn it Maggie now you have gone too far_. But James doesn’t seem upset, on the contrary he lights up even more than when Maggie chose Barenaked Ladies.

He smiles softly and gestures Maggie to come with him as he slides the shelf away from the door and opens it. “I want to be a photographer” James explains. “Dave lets me use this little storage space as a dark room”. Maggie hesitantly steps inside and James closes the door behind them. “Wow” Maggie can’t help but say. “This is awesome.”

She moves her eyes between the numerous photos that are hung up on a string to dry side by side. “May I” she asks timidly and gestures to the photos. “Of course” James says eager. Maggie moves closer, looking at every photo closely. Some of them are of landscape, most of the beach and the ocean, on one she can see a girl surfing in the furthest wave.

A portrait of a blonde girl laughing captures her eye. It’s a close up on the side, the girl’s hair falling slightly over her face as she seems to be bending forward in joyful laughter. “Who’s that?” Maggie whispers, her anxiety rolls in on the last vowel, _damn it Maggie, shut up for ones_. Her head snaps up so she’s looking at James but like before he isn’t even a little bit startled, he just smiles softly and keeps his eyes locked on the picture.

“That’s Kara” he responds “my girlfriend.” “Oh” Maggie contemplates, looking back at the picture. “She looks…. happy” she decides to say and keeps her eyes on the picture. “I hope she is” James whispers. Maggie acts as if she didn’t hear that and averts her eyes to the next picture. It’s of Kara again, the focus on her as she’s planting a tender kiss on the cheek of a short haired girl whose face is only half in the picture but Maggie can still see that she’s laughing. Just as genuinely and beautifully as Kara on the other picture.

Maggie can’t look away, she feels as if she is looking into her real eyes, not just a drying picture in a dark room. “That’s Kara’s sister, Alex” James tells her when he notices what she is looking at. “They seem… close” Maggie rambles, still not able to look away from the half of a girl in the photograph. “Yeah they’re really close” James says “and Alex is awesome, Kara couldn’t have a better sister… I got a swig of her overwhelming protectiveness when I started dating Kara, and it was … terrifying, but now we’re good, really good, she is my most awesome friend that’s for sure.” James says and shakes his head.

Maggie laughs and manages to look away from the photo. “That’s so awesome, these…” Maggie says pointing at the photos “are amazing.” James shrugs “I try.” Maggie laughs. “Thank you for letting me take a peek, I should probably go do my job before Dave comes out for the tenth time to check if everything is okay.” James giggles “Yeah that’s probably best, I’ll be down here if you need me, anything at all really” he adds smiling as she lets Maggie out of the room. “Thanks” Maggie smiles and nods. “That’s good to know.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is basically a fill in. It will make sense later. New chapter coming very soon after this one.

Dave teaches Maggie to close up and leave, because Dave and James both leave at four but the store is open until five. James hangs around for a while after he clocks out, gives Maggie his number and asks her if she is starting Midvale High.

He seems thrilled to learn that they will both be seniors. “Call me if you need a tour” he says as he gets ready to leave, “of Midvale, or school, or anything really, Kara loves meeting new people.” Maggie promises she will.

She spends the last hour listening to music on her phone since the music stopped when James left. She takes her time and starts to clean early, determined not to mess up on the first day.

Two minutes to five she turns off the lights and goes behind the counter to pack her bag. She jumps when the door is thrown up and a boy her age storms into the shop. He has a determined look on his face walking straight towards her in the dark.

“You’re still open right, I need some books” he almost shouts and hands Maggie a crumbled piece of paper with a list of textbooks written on it. She takes it hesitantly, backing away slightly to let the boy cool down.

“Yes we are open, you got two minutes” Maggie says slowly, emphasizing her words by looking at her wristwatch.

“Well you better hurry up then” he spits back at her.

“Sorry, I was just joking” Maggie adds, “I honestly got all the time in the world, I could be here aaaaall night” she adds playfully.

All of a sudden it is like the boy wakes up, something flashes over his face, and he stuffs his knuckles hard into the pockets of his hoodie. “You’re not Andrew” he says puzzled. “No, I’m not” Maggie grins. “Sorry, sorry I didn’t mean to…” he trails of “I’m Rick” he says offering Maggie his hand.

Maggie takes it hesitantly “uum hi, I’m Maggie” she shrugs as she starts walking towards the textbook shelfs.

“You new around here?” Rick asks as Maggie starts handing him the books that he needs. “Yes, just moved here from Blue Springs, starting Midvale High tomorrow, senior” she says hurriedly.

“And that’s all you want to know right?” she asks as she drops the last book into Rick’s arms. “Nice” Rick grins as they walk back to the counter.

“I’m a senior too, if you want to make some friends, just hit me up” he says as Maggie checks his books out and puts them into a bag.

“I know pretty much everyone you have to know around here” he says, his previous awkwardness having disappeared. Maggie just grins, _what the hell._

“Thanks” she says as she hands him the bag. “No, no thank you Maggie” he says as he backs away from the counter, “just hit me up okay” he says pointing at her.

Maggie just nods and raises her eyebrows. She shakes her head as she finishes up and locks the door firmly behind her. The sweet fall breeze welcoming her. Maybe this place will be kinder to her than Blue Springs, by the looks of it, white bread boy Ricky might be the worst thing she has to deal with here.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maggie and Alex meet for the first time.

Maggie fidgets with the strap of her backpack as she tries not to get lost walking to her first class. She clutches her printed out schedule in the other hand looking down at with each step, as if she hasn’t memorized it already. Her first class just had to be chemistry. Not really her strong suit.

  
Finally she finds the room and takes a deep breath before she walks in. She greets the teacher who welcomes her while the rest of the students arrive.   
Maggie is too scared to look around and focuses on the teacher, trying to be as polite as possible.

  
When the bell rings the teacher looks around the room, the last students settling in their seats. “Well I guess you won’t be enjoying your one man lab team this year miss Danvers” the teacher calls as she starts walking to the back of the room, gesturing Maggie to follow.

  
A head snaps up on a table in the back of the room, eyes wide open, and a question lingering on the girl’s lips.

  
Maggie gets shivers from head to toe when she realizes it’s Alex, the girl in James’s picture, Kara’s sister. She curses herself in her head as she feels the blood rush to her cheeks.   
“Maggie here is new, and will be joining you this semester, well isn’t she lucky” the teacher says and bursts out in giggles.

  
Alex doesn’t seem to be able to hide a grin and then starts moving the books she had spread over the whole table to make room for Maggie. Maggie timidly sits down in the seat beside Alex.

  
“Sorry for ruining your one man team” she nearly whispers. “It’s alright” Alex shrugs. “You’re not the one who calls the shots” she adds and nods her head towards the teacher who is now explaining loudly why she printed today’s assignments on pink paper.

  
Maggie giggles “She’s… interesting… I guess.” Alex laughs at the statement. “You just wait and see, Miss P. is something else.” She shifts her focus back to her books as the teacher keeps on rambling.

  
Maggie sits there, anxiety boiling as she sneakily looks at what Alex is doing. Alex has her chemistry book open but on top of it a sheet that has printed on it a bunch of small basketball courts. Alex is drawing little x and o’s, lines and dashes, and looking it over before she moves to the next illustration and draws a new play.

  
“You play basketball?” Maggie asks, still clutching the strap of her bag. “Yes” Alex smiles, not looking away from her work. “Scouting?” Maggie asks gesturing to the sheet.

  
“Yeah, we have a game tonight” Alex answers and looks up. “Do you play?” she then asks, curious.

  
Maggie shrugs, “I used to.” Alex smirks as she looks her up and down, and then states more than asks “let me guess… you played point guard.”

  
Maggie purses her lips and looks away. “Yeah… unfortunately you’re right.”

  
“Why did you stop?” Alex asks.

  
“There was some drama on my team and I just… you know” Maggie trails of and shrugs. “I didn’t like it that much anyways… I mean I love the game” Maggie assures, “I just liked watching it more than playing it I guess” she says looking down at the table, expecting a judging “okay” from Alex.

  
“That’s alright, you shouldn’t do something you don’t like.” Alex says softly. “We have a game tonight, you should come… I mean if you want to” Alex hesitantly says.

  
“Oh cool, I’ll be there for sure.” Maggie says excited.

  
“Really?” Alex asks doubtful.

  
“Yeah wouldn’t miss it.”

  
“Okay, great.” Alex says, before looking away, and Maggie can’t tell for sure, but it looks like she blushes a little bit.

  
Suddenly the teacher is at their table handing them pink project outlines and rambling about how lucky Maggie is for having Alex as a lab partner.

  
They finish the experiment way ahead of everyone, Alex doing most of the manual work but Maggie reading her the outlet and passing her the right amount of liquids. They end up sitting there waiting for everyone else to finish.

  
“I think we made a pretty good team” Maggie says offering Alex a high five. Alex takes it, smiling “yeah guess we did.”

  
They sit in awkward silence for a bit, a question lingering on Maggie’s lips as she her mind wanders.

  
“Are you thinking of taking it further?” she asks gesturing to the basketball sheet still lying on top of Alex’s chemistry book, “basketball I mean” Maggie adds hurriedly and can feel her cheeks heating up again. 

  
“Are you politely asking me if I’m going to play in college” Alex asks smirking, crooking her head to the side. “I guess” Maggie looks back down at the table. 

  
“I am actually, I’m very fortuned” Alex says, almost as shy as before. “That’s awesome, where are you going?” Maggie asks excited.

  
“University of Notre Dame” Alex answers stuffing her sheet into the book as she closes it, packing her bag as she talks to Maggie.

“Excuse me?” Maggie doesn’t think she heard her right, _that couldn’t actually be_.

  
“Notre Dame” Alex repeats. “You’re kidding?” Maggie asks openmouthed. She had thought Alex was good, but it hadn’t occurred to her that she was _that_ good.

  
Alex shakes her head, tugging her hair behind her ear and grinning shyly.

  
“That is… wow…congratulations” Maggie doesn’t know what to say. “Well I’m definitely coming to see you play tonight” she adds confidently.

  
Something unrecognizable flashes over Alex’s face, Maggie can’t tell if it’s embarrassment or just plain terror, but then Alex just shakes her head and says “I better be good then.”

  
Maggie wants to tell her that she didn’t mean to put any pressure on her, she just wanted to see her play, but the bell interrupts before she can find the words.

  
Alex springs up from her chair, walking hurriedly past Maggie before stopping and turning on her heals, “hopefully I’ll see you tonight” she blurts out, eyes wandering around the room, “you don’t have to come if you don’t want to though.”

  
Maggie just tilts her head to the side, _this girl sure is something_ , “I’ll be there, because I really want to” she says, folding her arms as she grins.

  
“Cool” Alex whispers as she makes her way out of the classroom.

  
Maggie sighs and lets her mind wander as she watches Alex leave. _What has she gotten herself into – on literally the first day of school._


	4. Chapter 4

Maggie walks slowly through the halls, looking around, carefully trying not to get lost.

  
When she walks into the dining hall her stomach sinks, it looks exactly like her old school. She remembers sitting with Eliza, just the two of them, telling their inside jokes, glaring at the boys from their English class.

  
“Maggie!” she hears called out from a table on the other side of the hall. She raises her eyebrows as she spots Rick, standing on the table, waiving his hands like crazy. “Come sit with us.” Maggie sighs, but drags herself over there, what else could she possibly do?

  
Rick jumps off off the table pushing his friends around to make space for Maggie to sit. “Hello hello hello” he says dramatically as she approaches. “Guys this is Maggie, she just moved to Midvale” he says gesturing towards Maggie while looking at the boys at the table.

  
“Maggie these are my boys, Tim, Joshua, Kevin, Ray Jr. and Jake” he says pointing at the boys as he says their names. “Hi” Maggie waives. “Have a seat” Ray Jr. pats on the seat beside him and Maggie hesitates, then sits down.

  
“So have you made any friends?” Rick asks, “I mean besides me.” Maggie laughs, “no worries” and shakes her head, _friend is not a word she would use for Rick, ever_.

  
“Well fear no more” Rick says dramatically like before “there is a party tonight, Ray Jr parents are going out of town.” Rick turns his gaze towards Maggie “you are invited.”   
  
Maggie smirks “sorry, can’t, I’m going to a basketball game tonight.”

  
Rick looks perplexed for a second until his face untangles in realization, he nods and then waives his finger in Maggie’s face, “no Maggie, the guys are playing tomorrow.”   
  
Maggie drops the smirk, his very bad first impression is not improving.  
  
“Yeah, the girls are playing tonight” she says looking away, eyes wandering around the dining hall to find something that she can do to get out there.  
  
“We have a girls basketball team?” Tim asks bewildered, Joshua nods smirking and offers Tim a high five which he takes. “Niiiceee” he adds.   
  
Maggie shudders, she really needs to get out of there.   
  
“I knew that” Rick spits “I just didn’t know they had a game, I know some of the girls on the team, common guys” he says.   
  
Maggie turns back to him, interest spiked. “Oh who do you know?” she asks as casually as possible.   
  
“Uh Alex Danvers for example… I know her.”

Maggie shudders again, _how the hell do they know each other_?

Anger boils in her chest, why does Rick get to know her but she doesn’t?   
  
“Yeaah you do” Kevin suddenly says “you dead ass have a crush on that nerd.”  
  
Maggie’s head is spinning, and she has to focus on neutralizing her face before she looks back at Rick’s reddening cheeks.  
  
“I get it, she’s hot” Tim says shrugging as he picks the onions out of his sandwich.  
  
”Super scary though” Kevin adds.   
  
“Whatever” Rick shrugs looking down at the table.   
  
Maggie sees red, she really needs to get out of there.  
  
She takes deep breaths as she looks around the room. A wave of relief washes over as she sees James standing a few steps away from her, talking on the phone.  
  
He turns and looks at her and she waives. He seems startled, looks away from Maggie and at the company surrounding her before raising his hand hesitantly, flashing a shy smile as he turns around to leave as soon as he hangs up.   
  
“How do you know Olsen-Olsen” Rick asks.  
  
“We work together” Maggie says, keeps her eyes on James as he walks out the door.  
  
“Why did you call him Olsen-Olsen” Maggie asks.  
  
“He used to stutter in middle school” Tim answers.  
  
“J-j-j-j-immy O-O-O-Olsen Olsen” Kevin imitates, high fiving Tim, laughing hysterically.

_That’s it_. Maggie grabs her bag. “I gotta go” she barely whispers and runs after James as he disappears through out into the hallway.  
  
She doesn’t see how Rick slaps Tim on the arm, “don’t fucking ruin this man, she’s hot.”  
  
She catches up with James in the hall.

“Hey” she calls out, her little run coming to an end.

“Heeyy” he says as he keeps walking, flashing her the same shy smile as before.  
  
Maggie gets it. “Hey wait” she says stopping him by putting her hand on his shoulder.   
  
“That was not my crowd, I was honestly seeing red for a while there. I was looking around for you… they” she says pointing towards the dining hall “are not my friends.” 

James’s smile softens. “I didn’t think so either… I’m glad I was right about that.”  
  
“Yeah me too kind of, can I please just hang out with you” Maggie says giving him a light bump on the shoulder with her fist as soon as the bell rings.  
  
He nods, smiling, “you are sitting with me tomorrow alright?” James asks, widening his eyes as soon as he starts backing away from her.  
  
“Can’t wait” Maggie replies walking in the other direction.   
  
She can’t help herself from hoping to find Alex sitting in every classroom she enters for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, she is in none. She feels her cheeks reddening every time she thinks about the upcoming basketball game. _Damn it, why does she always do this?_


End file.
